Fernando Alonso believe that he was only able to challenge for a place on the podium due to strategy in the German Grand Prix this afternoon, stating that the Ferrari car is not quick enough to do so under normal circumstances.

The two-time world champion started on the medium compound tire, effectively giving him the reverse strategy to that of Sebastian Vettel and Romain Grosjean who finished 1st and 3rd respectively. Alonso did close on Grosjean on the final lap, but he could not find a way past and he is still pleased to have finished as high as 4th.

“It was very good the strategy,” Alonso said after the race. “I think with this strategy we have had the possibility to fight for the podium. We were not quick enough today, we didn’t have the pace, and even then we fight for the podium and we were very close to the leading group.

“It’s hard for me to imagine if we start 5th and we do soft-hard-hard-hard as the main competitors, I don’t think that I finish four seconds behind them or I fight with them, because we are slower than them. We were fighting with them thanks to the strategy.”

Alonso finished just 7.7 seconds behind race winner Sebastian Vettel despite starting the race down in P9. However, the gap between him and Vettel has grown to 34 points as we come towards the halfway point in the season.